What is the first thing you need to know when painting a pool?...
Answer "What is the surface now ?" Reason being how much paint and the preparation required varies depending on which surface you have... some pools are painted... some are rendered with Marble, Pebbles, Quarton etc,... some are Fibreglass,... some have Vinyl Liners,... some are concrete ,... some are Tiled etc.

What type of paint is used in swimming pools?... There are two types of paint that are usually used "Chlorinated Rubber Swimming Pool Paint" or "Epoxy Swimming Pool Paint" and some pools have both.... Some pools have been painted with "house paint" as a quick fix when selling the house, some house paints last quite well but most break down within six months. If your pool is painted with house paint and the only reliable thing to do is completely remove it, before painting with a proper swimming pool paint.
Some people think any "chlorinated rubber" or "epoxy" paint will work but that is also wrong, many epoxy paints are not suited for permanent immersion in water and will powder off completely under water. A swimming pool is a very harsh environment and only the products designed for those conditions will last reliably.

How can you tell what sort of paint is on your swimming pool ? The best way is to bring in or send in some crumbs of your pool surface by scraping them off with a knife or chisel... we will then put those crumbs into some xylene (ie chlorinated rubber thinners) and see what happens... If then paint completely dissolves it is a chlorinated rubber paint,... if it stays hard and stiff it is most likely a two pack epoxy type paint,... if it goes soft and wrinkly it is probably a water based acrylic paint,... if it is gritty like sand then it is not a paint but a render... like marblesheen

What is the easiest surface to repaint? An old chlorinated rubber paint is the easiest surface to repaint because you only need to wash it clean before painting it with a new chlorinated rubber paint,... epoxies need grinding before painting over with either a new epoxy or chlorinated rubber swimming pool paint...

Is Chlorinated Rubber Paint okay over Epoxy
Yes Chlorinated Rubber is okay over Epoxy,... however not the other way around you should not use Epoxy over Chlorinated Rubber... because Epoxy is more rigid than Chlorinated Rubber

Why do pool shops and renovators say not to use paint? Most of them do not have experience with painted pools, because most home pools are not painted when they are first built. The pool builders do not like waiting the required 28 days for concrete to cure before painting,... pool builders like renders that they can trowel on immediately to the concrete so they can fill the pool, collect their payment and go...

This is fine for the pool builder, renovator and pool shop... but the rendered surfaces require the most maintenance by the pool owner because the water can get out of balance very easily, meaning you need more chemicals to keep the water stable and more regular cleaning is required... or the algae will take over.... However Painted pools, Fibreglass pools and Vinyl Liner Pools are much easier to maintain and clean... because these surfaces do not react with the water in the pool...

Why do a significant number of pool paint jobs turn out badly? The reason for 99% of problems is lack of preparation and rushing to finish before some deadline... Pool painting requires excellent preparation or you will get peeling and blistering problems... but good swimming pool paint is the most economical way to maintain the surface of your inground pool over its lifetime...

When is the best time of year to paint a pool?
The best time to paint a pool is during the winter months in Queensland because it is the coolest and dryest time of year... the worst time is during summer because it is hot and wet, both real enemies of attempting a successful painting job... even if your pool looks terrible it is always better to wait until winter months and just use the pool during summer when it is most wanted...

Why are most council and school pools painted with only tiles around the waterline? because paint is the easiest surface to maintain and repair when damaged by wear and mistreatment of the users... and tiles are the best surface on the water line because that is where most of the grease and dirt builds up, and a glazed tile is the easiest surface to wipe clean...

How many colours are available?"Swiftvulc" Chlorinated Rubber Swimming Pool Paint comes in 25 different colours but Pale Blue is the most popular colour...
"Splash" Chlorinated Rubber Pool Paint comes in 8 different colours.... and "Swiftepoxy" Two Pack Swimming Pool Paint comes in six colours.

What is the best colour to paint your pool?
The easiest colour to apply is white because it reflects all the heat from the sun and will not get too hot while it is curing and a white pool will still look blue when the water is in the pool... but colour is up to individual taste and surrounding decor... though keep in mind all colours will get a tinge of blue over them when the water is in the pool...

Can pool paint be used as a fish pond paint, as a bird bath paint, as a water feature paint, or as a water slide paint?
Yes Swiftvulc Swimming Pool Paint is suitable for all these areas because it is non toxic when fully cured,... and even is suitable for drinking water,... also it is very hard wearing and is a full exterior paint suited to the harshest weather conditions wet and dry hot and cold...

Can pool paint be used as a laundry tub paint?
Yes, a number of customers have used Swiftvulc for this purpose over the years...

Can pool paint be used in a spa?
Yes, just follow the Swimming Pool Paint Instruction Sheets...

What is the recommend coverage rate of Swimming Pool Paint?
"Swiftvulc" Swimming Pool Paint should be applied at 9mē/litre/coat
"Splash" Pool Paint should be applied at 8mē/litre/coat
"SwiftEpoxy" Pool Paint should be applied at 9mē/litre/coat
Two coats are recommended from the bare surface and and three coats in wear areas or harsh conditions...

What should be done with cracks in the pool?
It depends what sort of crack it is... Hairline cracks can generally just be painted over... but if the crack has opened at all it will need to be filled as the paint will not do any filling or flex if the crack opens further... if it is a minor crack and the pool is not loosing any water then a surface repair will be okay... but if the pool is loosing water through the crack then a much more significant repair is required usual an epoxy or polyurethane injection system... or the crack will have to be cut out and an expansion joint sealant used...

Can you paint a marblelite pool or marble rendered pool? Yes, provided the old marble render is strong and will not crumble or flake off... because the paint will not hold together a weak surface,... any marble render should be thoroughly blasted with a high pressure water blaster to remove and identify all weak areas... once all the bad areas have been removed you can grind and fill the surface to even it out any before painting...
The best fillers to use in holes or cracks are rigid ones like epoxy or cement based materials... as flexible fillers are not good for painting over because any paint will craze or crack on these materials... flexible fillers should only be used in engineered expansion joints.

Can you paint a pebblecrete pool? Yes you can paint a pebble crete pool but the surface is usually so rough that you would tend to use a lot more paint than normal, so it would be best to do an epoxy render which will even out the surface first before trying to paint...

Can you paint a fibreglass pool? Yes you can paint Fibreglass but it requires very thorough sanding and you will need to repair any old blistered or worn fibreglass with some new fibreglass resin first before overall sanding...
In fibreglass pools that are more than 15 years old the fibreglass tends to start blistering more and more the older it gets,... which you can keep on patching and painting but and some stage it will become more sensible to get a new shell altogether...

Can you paint a vinyl liner pool? You cannot paint vinyl, but often you can paint the concrete shell once you remove the vinyl liner, provided the shell will hold water and does not have any joints, crack or holes in it... sometimes you can seal up the cracks with appropriate resins or expansion joint compounds and sometimes you can't so you have to use a new vinyl liner...

Can you paint over tiles in a pool?You should not paint a glazed tile because it is questionable as to whether you will get a good bond, but if you grind off the glaze then it will be paintable... However paint will not stop any water leaks under the tiling... and tiles are still the best surface for cleaning on the water line so we recommend you keep a tiled water line... though swimming pool paint is fine above or below the water line...

Can you paint a concrete pool?Yes, concrete is the best surface to paint, provided it is fully cured over 28days old, and it is properly acid etched then washed clean and thoroughly dry before painting,... concrete takes between 3 and 7 days to dry properly after getting wet.

Do you have a clear pool paint?We do not have a clear swimming pool paint as virtually all clears break down and or go yellow relatively quickly in the sunlight... but if you have a darkish surface that you want to seal the yellowing is not to obvious and you can use two pack epoxies like "Epirez 123" or some exterior two pack polyurethane or some fibreglass resin...

Is chlorinated rubber paint flexible? Chlorinated Rubber Paint is not flexible like a vinyl liner or acrylic paint, and will not hold together or waterproof any cracks in a pool surface... it is quite hard and abrasion resistant so it lasts well... However Chlorinated Rubber Paint is very waterproof and will seal porous surfaces with a relatively thin coat unlike acrylic membranes which require a very thick coat to waterproof properly...

What paint is best around the swimming pool coping? Swimming pool paint can be used around the outside of a pool but when wet they could be slippery so you should an aggregate to them to make it a slip resistant surface... We sell other specialized anti-slip coating which may be better around the pool...

Can pool paint be used in a shower or bath tub?Yes, but grease built up is not so easy to clean off a painted surface as a glazed tile or enamel finish...

Is chlorinated rubber paint used on white wall tyres for cars? Yes it is because chlorinated rubber paint sticks very well to rubber but it may craze on such a flexible surface...

Is chlorinated rubber paint used for ocean trawlers and to paint boats?Yes chlorinated rubber paint was developed for ships originally and is an excellent marine paint, very anti-corrosive, and a good anti-fouling coating...

Is chlorinated rubber paint used to paint aluminium boats and dinghies?Yes Swiftvulc can be painted directly on to aluminium after it has been acid etched with white vinegar or phosphoric acid etc...

Is chlorinated rubber paint an acid proof paint? Swiftvulc chlorinated rubber paint is used for protection in very acidic areas, like battery factories and all sorts of industrial areas where strong chemicals are used...

Is Swiftvulc swimming pool paint suitable as a potable water paint?Yes Swiftvulc is suitable for potable water use but it is not certified as such due to the excessive cost of maintaining government approvals...

Is Swiftvulc swimming pool paint suitable for drinking water collection?Yes Swiftvulc is suitable for drinking water use but it is not certified as such due to the excessive cost of maintaining government approvals...

Is Swiftvulc swimming pool paint suitable inside a water tank?Yes Swiftvulc is suitable for drinking water use but it is not certified as such due to the excessive cost of maintaining government approvals...

Is Swiftvulc swimming pool paint used in sewerage treatment plants?Yes Swiftvulc has been used in numerous council treatment plants for many years...

Is chlorinated rubber paint used as Line Marking Paint?Yes chlorinated rubber is,... in fact chlorinated rubber paint was the original road marking paint before acrylic paints were developed which are better on bitumen. Solvent based paints like chlorinated rubber can be applied in thinner coats and are harder wearing on concrete surfaces than water based acrylics.

Is chlorinated rubber paint used as Garage Paint or Workshop Floor Paint?Yes chlorinated rubber is very resistant to mineral oils and water and is very hardwearing in this enviroment...

Is chlorinated rubber paint a Non-Skid Paint? Chlorinated Rubber paints are usually a semi gloss finish and are not very slippery but for safety you should be add aggregate in areas where slipping is possible... ie wet areas etc